The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1887-01-27
WASHINGTON LETTER.


WASHINGTON, Jan. 9th, 1886.
The present week in congress was
devoted to miscellaneous questions. |
Various subjects have had attention,
and some of them have been disposed
Of. Pensions have been pushed in |
both ends of the capitol, appropriation
bills and the agricultural experiment
station bill have been debated in the
senate; the subject OF the centennial
celebration has come up; matters of To-
cal interest have been discussed; new
bills have been presented, and Pacific
railroad matters have commanded a
considerable portion of the time of the
house,
The purpose of the house of repre-
sentatives in voting for an investiga-
ton OF this Pacific Railroad business
is not to prosecute Mr.. Stanford, the
president of these roads, who occupies
seat in the U. S. Senate, passes upon
legislation tor the country, and pro-
tects his own interest in this railroad
property, and 1t is duty of congress to
let thespeople know what went with
two millions that were spent some way.
The tact that the California senator says
it went in the right way, that he does
not care to explain how, and that it is
not the business of the public to know,
is not satisfactory. The people are not
yet ready to accept bribery as an es-
tablished institution. They have a
right to ask by what process the profits
OF the road are diverted into the pock-
cts of private individuals. The answer
has reference both to the government s
business with the corporations, and to
the righG of Mr.. Stanford, one of the
principal disbursers, to a seat in the U.
s. senate.
it was in this connection that Sena-
tor Beck said, "Give me man who be-
longs to himself" He added that he
would rather see Roscoe Conkllng come
to the senate than any man from the
state of New York, because he could be
counted on for an honest vote upon all
questions, whether relating to railroads
or anything else. "Morton md Miller
both have corporate interests said
Mr.. Beck. "Conkling has none, Eand
though recognize the fact that he can
harm the democracy more than any 9TH
er man in the senate,he belongs to him
self.'
1t is comforting to. know that Hon
s. s. Cox, who has been a very sick
man for the past two week, is now in a
fair way towards recovery. At the
present time when congress is daily
losing character, when the qualifica.
tions of senators are to be found in
their pockets instead of their heads,
and when corporations are growing
bclder and holder in their interference
with legislation, the services of a repre-.
sentative like Mr.. Cox, whose integrity
is invincible, and who is the dread Of
the lobby, cannot be over-estimated.
3 The bill passed by the senate, grant.
+ ing pensions of $4,000 year to widows
of Generals Logan and Blair, met with
j.. opposition in the pension committee Of
the house. The majority of the COM
mittee are reluctant TO continue the
policy of granting high pensions to the
: widows of officers who did not die
from injuries incurred in the service
: The only precedence for such bills are
) in the cases of widows and families O
, Admiral Farragut and Generals Han.
cock, Thomas and Grant. The MAORI
ty of the committee think it would b.
/. inadvisable to follow these precedent
} iii view of the fact that there are nov
3 about one hundred surviving widows o
officers who would then be entitled t,
,, pensions who are now excluded by tn,
' general law.
When that sweeping pension bill wa
rushed through the house providing TO
t dependent parents and soldiers an,
r sailors, who received no injuries durin,
their term Of service, but are simpl,
: too cid or TOO feeble to work, all rea
= sonable people felt that the matter ha,
- been oveFdone. If the senate passe
e this bill also, the next step will be t
b pension everybody who ever had any.
e thing to do with any of the wars. On
> fourth OF the national revenue is al
ready paid out In pensions. In roun
e numbers, eight hundred millions hav
n been taken out of the U. S. treasar
= for this purpose since the war. All tn
" powers OF Europe combined, with thei
! immense armies and frequent wars,
not pay out as much for pensions a
: does the United States.